Building enclosure structure

ABSTRACT

A HORIZONTAL BASE WALL FRAME HAVING TRACK GROOVES IN THE UPPER SURFACE THEREOF. A ROOF FRAME INCLUDING SPACED ROOF BEAMS, WALL TRACK GROOVES IN A BOTTOM SURFACE OF THE ROOF FRAME, AND PARALLEL ROOF TRACK GROOVES IN FACING VERTICAL SURFACES OF THE ROOF BEAMS. WALL AND ROOF PANELS SLIDABLE IN THE TRACK GROOVES OF THE BASE WALL FRAME AND ROOF FRAME.

Dec. 7, 1971 WADDINGTON 3,624,974

BUILDING ENCLOSURE STRUCTURE Filed June 27, 1969 2 SheetsSheet 1 ID, \D

INVENTOR. RAYMOND WADDINGTON r 0/ m N BY I ATTORNEY.

1971 R. WADDINGTON 3,

BUILDING ENCLOSURE STRUCTURE Filed June 27, 1969 2 Sheets-Shoot 2 FIGZ 3 F|G.4 INVENTOR 25 RAYMOND WADDINGTON 23 BY I I I I 26 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,624,974 BUILDING ENCLOSURE STRUCTURE Raymond Waddington, 1347 Jamie Lane, Homewood, Ill. 60430 Filed June 27, 1969,.Ser. No. 837,115 Int. Cl. E04!) 2/82, 7/16 US. Cl. 52-64 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A horizontal base wall frame having track grooves in me upper surface thereof. A roof frame including spaced roof beams, wall track grooves in a bottom surface of the roof frame, and parallel roof track .grooves in facing vertical surfaces of the roof beams. Wall and roof panels slidable in the track grooves of the base wall frame and roof frame.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention provides a building enclosure structure having a horizontal base wall frame, a roof frame positioned, supported and spaced above the base frame, and wall and roof panels slidably associated therewith to selectively provide a completely enclosable structure to selectively provide a structure having variably positioned openings in the walls and the roof, and to provide adjustably selectable roof pitches.

Multiple parallel wall track grooves are provided in a top surface of the horizontal base frame and in a bottom surface of the roof frame. The roof frame is further provided with parallel roof beams having parallel roof track grooves in facing vertical surfaces.

Wall panels are provided which have bottom and top ends respectively slidably positioned in the respective parallel wall track grooves in the base frame and in the roof frame. Similarly, roof panels are provided which have opposite ends thereof respectively slidably positioned in the facing roof beam track grooves whereby the roof panels are slidably movable between roof beams and along the length thereof. The track grooves may be provided along the entire length of the respective members in which they are located.

A primary object of this invention is to provide a building enclosure structure wherein all sides and the roof thereof are substantially completely adjustable for enclosure and opening purposes.

A more specific object of this invention is to provide a building enclosure structure having multiple panels slidably mounted in multiple track grooves to form the walls thereof in a manner whereby the panels can be selectively positioned within the wall track grooves with the panels provided in the combination of size, number and in staggered horizontal relation to selectively provide an enclosed stepped-position wall along the base frame.

A further object of this invention is to provide a building enclosure structure wherein roof panels are provided in the combination of size of number in staggered vertical relation in vertically spaced roof track grooves to provide an enclosed stepped level roof which may be selectively step-sloped in either or both of two directions between adjacent roof beams.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a building enclosure structure as referred to above wherein the roof and wall panels are completely removable from either end of the frame structures in which they are slidably positioned, and yet provide a fully selectively adjustable and positionable enclosure panel arrangement.

Other advantages and novel aspects of this invention will become apparent upon examination of the following detailed description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the building enclosure structure of this invention with the panels thereof in the adjusted fully enclosed stepped position;

FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1 showing the configuration and general interrelationship of the base and roof frames and three track grooves with a modification having four track grooves;

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 1 showing the interrelationship of the roof and wall panels with the base and roof frames;

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2 showing the configuration and general position of the base frame track grooves and the modification thereof, wherein the grooves extend the full length of the respective base frame members in which they are positioned; and

FIG. 5 is a section view of a roof beam taken along line 55 of FIG. 1.

The building enclosure structure of this invention is broadly illustrated in FIG. 1 and is generally designated by the numeral 10. The building enclosure 10 includes, generally, a horizontal base wall frame 11, a roof frame 12, wall panels 13, and roof panels 14.

The base frame 11 includes four base members 20 positioned in or on the ground 21 and on footings 22 located at critical positions therealong. The frame members 20 are provided with track grooves 23 in an upper surface thereof. In one modification of this invention, the grooves 23 are made to extend the full length of each base member and extend to the outer edge of its adjacently associated base member 20 as shown in dashed lines (FIG. 4), provided vertical posts 24 which support the roof frame 12 on the base frame 11 are replaced by one or more smaller posts 25 as is indicated by dashed lines (FIG. 4). Each of the four base frame members 20 are joined along a common beveled surface 26 at the corners of the base frame 11.

The roof frame 12 is supported on the posts 24 and is provided with roof wall frame members 27 respectively corresponding to the base frame members 20. The roof wall members 27 are each provided with three or more wall track grooves 28 which are respectively parallel with the corresponding wall track grooves 23 of a corresponding base frame member 20.

The wall panels 13 are slidably positioned between the wall track grooves 23 and 28 of the base and roof frame wall track members 20 and 27 in horizontally spaced and/ or stepped relationship with each other. Roof beams 30 are provided as part of the roof frame 12 and are provided in parallel horizontally spaced relation. The roof beams 30 can be supported (specifically not shown) directly on the roof wall members 27 or the beams 30 can be supported on beams 31. The vertical height of the beams 31 can be selected to position the roof beams 30 horizontally or at some predetermined fixed slope as desired.

The roof trusses 30 have three or more roof panel track grooves 32 in respectively parallel relation in the facing surfaces thereof. The roof panels 14 are slidably mounted between adjacent beams 30 by slidably positioning the opposite ends thereof in respective roof panel track grooves 32 in the adjacent beams 30.

It should be noted that the roof panel track grooves 32 extend the full length of the roof beams 30 so that the roof panels 14 may be completely removed from between the roof beams 30 by merely moving the panels 14 beyond the roof panel track grooves 32 of the beams in which the panel 14 is positioned.

The wall panels 13 are slidably mounted between vertically adjacent frame members 20 and roof wall frame members 27 by slidably positioning the bottom and top ends thereof in respective wall track grooves 23 and 28 of the 'base frame member 20 and the roof wall member 27 respectively. It should be noted that the wall panels in addition to being completely selectively positionable Within the Wall track grooves 28 and 278, are also completely removable therefrom when these wall track grooves are extended through adjacently associated base frame members 20 as referred to above (FIG. 4).

The inventor has found that it is most desirable to provide the wall and roof panels 13 and 14 in the corrugated form for strength, rigidity and attractiveness. In this regard, the corrugations in the wall panels 13 should extend vertically, while the corrugations in the roof panels 14 should extend horizontally between the adjacent beams 30.

It should be noted that the building enclosure structure of this invention provides a building enclosure wherein all sides, as well as the roof thereof, are substantially completely adjustable for enclosure or opening purposes. In addition thereto, the roof is completely variably adjustable between paired sets of roof beams 30, and further, the roof slope may be varied by the selective horizontal staggered positioning of the roof panels 14 so that the roof can be selectively stepped-sloped in either or both directions along the length of the roof beams 30 in which the roof panels 14 are positioned.

In this regard, the inventor has found his structure to be particularly advantageous in a situation wherein a cooking fire is utilized within the structure, as when the structure is used for a patio or similar residential structure. In this event, there is a need for ventilation through the roof, and possibly through the wall as well. This could very readily be accomplished, for example, by stepsloping the roof in two directions with an adjustably opened panel space in the center of the roof whereby, when the smoke would tend to rise to the highest point in the center of the roof, the smoke would be evacuated through the open roof panel space. Also, it can be seen that the structure of this invention provides an adjustable .wall panel structure whereby one or more wall openings can be provided at points around the walls thereof to provide appropriate wall ventilation or sunlight as desired.

The structure of this invention provides such a completely and selectively adjustable enclosure that enumerable variations of enclosure can be provided at the complete selection of anyone who is utilizing same. In addition thereto, the roof and wall panels can be readily made in a corrugated fashion for increased strength and rigidity. Further, the wall and roof panels 13 and 14 of the present invention can be made interchangeable inasmuch as the slidable support for the panels in the wall, as well as the roof, are identical.

It is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, as it will be understood to those skilled in the art that certain changes may be made without departing from the principles of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A building enclosure structure comprising a horizontal base wall frame, a roof frame supported above and spaced from said base frame, said base frame having multiple parallel wall track grooves in a top surface thereof and adapted to slidably receive lower ends of panels therein, said base frame extended in two directions and said track grooves therein extended longitudinally through the extent of each direction of said base frame to allow said wall panels to be slidably removed longitudinally therefrom, said roof frame having multiple parallel wall track grooves in a bottom surface thereof and in respective parallel relation with said base frame track grooves for slidably receiving upper ends of panels therein, said roof frame having parallel and horizontally spaced roof beams, said roof beams having parallel roof track grooves in facing vertical surfaces thereof and in respective parallel relation for respectively and slidably receiving opposite ends of panels therein, wall panels having bottom and top ends respectively slidably positioned in said respective parallel wall track grooves in said base frame and said roof frame, and roof panels having opposite ends thereof respectively slidably positioned in said roof beam track grooves, said wall and roof panels having a dimension in a direction of the respective slidably supporting grooves thereof which is substantially less than the length of said supporting grooves whereby said panels are longitudinally slidable in said grooves to selectively provide a continuous closure with the panels slidably positioned in slight overlapping relation or a random open noncontinuous closure with selected panels slidably positioned in substantial overlapping relation.

2. A building enclosure structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said roof beam track grooves extend longitudinally through the extent of said beams to allow said roof panels to be removed longitudinally therefrom.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 995,594 6/1911 Hagemann 52-478 1,006,374 10/1911 Erb 5266 1,459,761 6/1923 Andrews 52262 1,902,136 3/1933 Mills 52270 2,950,790 8/1960 Haas 52-494 3,299,594 1/1967 Kellert 52-262 2,942,658 6/1960 Wilson 5266 X 3,018,523 1/1962 Wilson 49411 FOREIGN PATENTS 817,511 1951 Germany 52282 JOHN E. MURTAGH, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

